Parent Teacher Conferences. fear or bravery?

I don’t dread parent teacher conferences for any of my kids. Mostly because we keep such close touch with their teachers that we aren’t surprised when conferences roll around. This doesn’t occur with our youngest though since we are home schooling him.

Before this Spring, the teachers would quake in fear when they saw my wife and I coming. Mostly because we had to pull teeth, nails and hair to get things that they should have provided without a fight. In the case of our youngest, we are still fighting, but feel that his needs are better met with us through home school. Sadly, he is missing so much by not being in public school. He misses his friends, he misses interaction with other adults, he misses PE, music, and what not. But he doesn’t miss getting assaulted on a regular basis, he doesn’t miss being restrained, he doesn’t miss being made to feel inferior to others. He doesn’t miss being locked in a room by himself. He doesn’t miss being threatened with intervention by the Sheriff Department.

Today he has a calm about him most of the time. He still is very hyper. We do school work when he is capable of sitting still long enough to do it. Rather than forcing the issue, we work around his needs. Regrettably, the school hasn’t wanted to think about that possibility.

In time, hopefully we will be able to return him to public school. Until then I am satisfied that we can meet his needs. After all, my wife and I are both teachers. Albeit, I am used to teaching college students, this is a change for me.

The transition to junior high / middle school for our two oldest boys seems to be going smoothly. Hoping that it goes as smoothly when our youngest gets there.